Nearly one in two GPs in France (44%) would refuse to treat new patients, according to a study published Thursday by UFC Que Choisir. The consumer association surveyed 2,770 doctors: most of them believe they already have too many patients: 71% of the 44% who refuse. "Most of the time, when we call it 'Yes, hello, are you a client with us?' 'Oh no ...' 'Ha, sorry, we do not take a new client,' says Laura, and often it stops there.
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"The problem in this country is that we lack doctors"
Like nearly one in ten French people, Laura does not have a doctor. The one she had as a child retired and since then, the young woman has been calling for even one consultation. "I do not want to get sick any more, but I still prefer to go to work crawling than getting sick and not finding a doctor, being unable to justify my absence from my employer, and I'm clearly scared. 'is an obsession, it's very stressful everyday.'
Medical follow-up, referral to specialists: treating physicians are essential links in the care chain for Jérome Marty. A general practitioner in Fronton, in the Haute Garonne, he says he is "forced" to refuse certain patients to ensure a minimum quality of service to those who parade every quarter of an hour in his office. "The days are totally full! The problem in this country is that we lack doctors because this profession has become so unattractive that it collapses". And we do not talk about rural deserts. The UFC Que Choisir is surprised: it is in medium-sized cities that the refusal rate is the most important